Shields
Introduction Shields is a type of defensive equipment held in the hand that can block ranged, couched lances and melee attacks, unlike blocking with a weapon that can only block melee from the correct angle. Shields can be used with One-handed Weapons, Thrown Weapons and most Polearms. Blocking Shields block melee attacks in a 90º arc in front of you, (meaning that the attack can hit the front or rim of the shield) though when an attack is ranged, the projectile has to actually hit the shield. When slung over your back, they can still block ranged attacks coming from the rear. Kicks will always stun a block regardless of the shield skill of the user or shield that is used. Board Shields cannot be used on horseback, though they usually have one of the highest durability ratings and size and are preferable if the player only fights on foot. Shield on the back If the player (or any other troop) has equipped a shield that he is not holding, that shield will go on the back (like an unused weapon), however this does provide the player with some extra protection to his rear. It only works for projectiles, not melee hits. If a projectile hits the shield on the back, the damage of the shot will be mitigated or even nullified. Projectiles hitting shields on the back will do less damage, as this formula applies to find the total armor (body armor + shield resistance + 10), whereas if it hits the player in the back whilst he has no shield there, it will just be body armor reducing the damage. This feature works the same way for companions and regular troops, let it be allies or enemies. Piercing through a shield Using ranged weapons at close range will sometimes completely by-pass shields due to the penetration power of their projectile speed. Technically any ranged weapon can, but it requires the projectile to hit the shield at over ~50 projectile speed in order to penetrate most shields. Most bows and crossbows have enough velocity to penetrate shields, but only at very close range or/and against low resistance shields. Shield resistance is added to that amount, so vs steel shields or similar hardy shields you shouldn't be seeing shield penetrations except at near point blank shots with high velocity projectiles. Ammunition matters as well, as some preserve their velocity better and are more likely to penetrate shields at longer distances. Shield stats * Name: The name of the shield. * Shield Durability: This is the "health" of the shield; it determines how much damage it can take before it breaks. If it runs out, the shield will be dropped and can no longer be used for the remainder of the battle. The quality of a shield can deteriorate if it breaks. * Base Price: Is a illustrative price. It will be available in the marketplace for a higher price than this and sold for lower than this. The buying and selling price is influenced by the city and the trade skill, as well as the modifiers. * Weight: This affects your overall encumbrance. The higher it is, the slower you move. Watch out for your encumbrance if you want to move fast on foot. * Resistance: This is the damage subtracted from every hit the shield takes (the shield's armor). For example, a 0 Resistance shield hit by a blade will take 20 damage, which will drain its Durability; instead, a 10 Resistance shield hit by the same blade will take only 10 damage (20 minus 10). Certain weapons, mainly axes and axe-like weapons, deal double damage to shields. Ranged weapons with sufficient damage and missile speed can penetrate shields that have a low resistance. This damage is always reduced, however a hard enough hitting attack will still stagger you and force you to lower your shield. Shields appear to take an absolute minimum of 1 point of damage per hit while held regardless of how high its resistance, how high the shield skill of the wielder is or how weak the enemy's weapon is. * Size: This determines how much of your body is covered by your shield. For example, a 79 Size shield will cover only the upper part of your body, leaving the legs and the head exposed; instead, a 85x143 size shield will cover your whole body, leaving you vulnerable only from the back. Angling the shield up or down will change its coverage of either your feet or your head, be careful when looking down from high positions when there are enemy archers at the same elevation. * Speed Rating: This affects how quickly you can move your shield and how fast you recover after each hit. Higher numbers are obviously better, especially when the character's Shield skill is low or non-existent. * Requires shield: The level of shield skill the player/companion needs to be able to equip the shield. Shield skill Note that use of a shield is heavily affected by the shield skill. Higher skill means higher shield resistance, speed and coverage. With high skill spent on it, you can expect your a heavy Shield to be moved as fast as wooden ones and catch projectiles out of coverage as if it were a missile magnet. Deformation If your shield were to be broken, the game may display the message Shield Deformed. If this happens, it means that your shield lost its good trait, or earned a bad trait. Unlike horses which heal back, shields don't; if your board shield became "Battered", there's no way to fix it. So manage your shield well; if your shield has taken heavy damage, it is better to throw your shield around to your back and block with your weapon (if you can) rather than damage a rather expensive shield such as a steel shield, unless of course it's a pick up weapon from the field. Note: You can never in any way destroy an allied troop's shield. They'll take the damage instead, as if they didn't block the shot.__FORCETOC__ List of Shields (1) Purchasable in Quigfen's store, after giving him a Qualis Gems. Shield Modifiers Category:Shields